(CNN) - Republican nominee Mitt Romney picked up a number of newspaper endorsements Sunday for his 2012 bid for the White House - a couple of them in major battleground states.

The Tampa Tribune and The Columbus Dispatch, in the key swing states of Florida and Ohio, recommended voting for the Republican candidate. The Fort Worth, Texas, Star-Telegram, The Arizona Republic, and the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Tribune-Review also announced their support for Romney on Sunday.
The Dispatch endorsement of the GOP candidate came a day after another major Ohio newspaper threw its support behind President Barack Obama. On Saturday, Ohio's largest newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, endorsed the Democratic incumbent, as it did for then-Sen. Obama in 2008.

The split between the two Ohio papers underscores the closeness of the race in the Buckeye State.

The same is true in Florida. Last week the Orlando Sentinel announced its support of Romney, despite backing Obama in 2008. On Saturday, however, the Sunshine State's largest paper, the Tampa Bay Times, wrote that it would back Obama, as it did in 2008.

In Florida, 48% of voters said they back Romney, and 45% said they support Obama, according to a Fox News survey of likely voters. Those results are in line with last week's CNN/ORC International poll of likely Florida voters. The CNN poll found 49% of likely voters in Florida backed Romney and 48% backed Obama. The differences between the candidates in both polls are within the sampling errors.

Likely voters in Ohio split similarly between the two candidates, with 46% backing Obama and 43% supporting Romney, the Fox poll showed. Throughout the fall and summer, polls in Ohio have shown a tight race, some with a slight advantage for Obama.

Ohio has 18 electoral votes and Florida has 29. Both candidates have made frequent campaign stops in both states in the weeks before Election Day.

Obama plans to campaign in Ohio as well as Florida following the final presidential debate, to be held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, on Monday. He will make a rare joint appearance with Vice President Joe Biden in Dayton, Ohio. The Romney campaign has not announced its post-debate campaign plans.

"After nearly four years of economic stagnation, massive unemployment, record-setting debt and government intrusions into the economy that have paralyzed the private sector, the United States needs a new direction," the Dispatch editorial said. "For this reason, The Dispatch urges voters to choose Republican Mitt Romney for president in the Nov. 6 election."

The Ohio paper's editorial proceeded to lay out the results of Obama's four years in the White House in bullet point form, ticking off a series of economic woes from unemployment to the poverty rate still plaguing the country.

Both the Columbus Dispatch and the Tampa Tribune brought up their 2008 endorsements of McCain, which warned of the dangers of an Obama presidency.

"Just as we warned four years ago, this master orator has pushed America toward a European-style social democracy," the Florida paper wrote. "We don't question Obama's motives. The president sincerely believes in the inviolable ability of the federal government to make all things right. But Americans should see that this top-down approach doesn't work."

"Romney, in contrast, would capitalize on individuals' ingenuity, not Washington directives."

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review called Romney an "exceptionally good and decent man who is a proven leader, administrator and deft politician."

Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, leans toward Obama, though the Romney campaign has recently said it sees the state as up for grabs.

The Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, Texas, and The Arizona Republic - both in states considered loyally Republican - agree Romney should lead the country come November, to foster economic growth in tough financial times.

The Republic writes, "We believe the nation's best opportunity to escape the compounding woes of spiraling debt and economic stagnation lies with a president who believes in the free market's capacity to heal its own wounds.

CNN rates Arizona, with its 11 electoral votes, a state "leaning Romney" on its Electoral Map. Texas is expected to deliver its 38 electoral votes to Romney.

soundoff(18 Responses)

George

So happy tha we finally have a chance to get that imposter out of the white house.

October 21, 2012 02:33 pm at 2:33 pm |

SandRich

Just another reason to quit buying a newspaper.
In today's economy, it seems that money trumps (no pun intended) journalism.
Newspapers have become the 'poster-boys' for selling their souls to the devil.
Romney/Ryan are like a wind-sock; major newspapers fit this mold perfectly.

October 21, 2012 02:33 pm at 2:33 pm |

Mark Durham

"Just as we warned four years ago, this master orator has pushed America toward a European-style social democracy," say the millionaire publishers of the Tampa Tribune, summing up both the utter fatuousness of the attacks on this administration and the irrelevance of their rhetoric to the lives of everyday Americans.

These are people who wish Franklin D. Roosevelt had never been president. They have been trying to undo the New Deal ever since. Social Security is a case in point.

Mark my words: Unless you're a millionaire, Romney will not be your president. From his point of view, we're the help, and he'll have no problem firing us.

These newspaper editors are traitors to the American people and the basic rights of all people. Why would anyone expect a tax avoiding, draft dodging, job exporting, cult following bigot to look after All Americans? Wall Street caused the economic crisis and the GOP allowed 9/11 to happen, sold us out to Oil shieks and trashed our military. God has asked his people to vote Obama. We must fight Satan and his followers-the GOP.

October 21, 2012 02:38 pm at 2:38 pm |

Micha

In a June conference call hosted by the conservative-leaning National Federation of Independent Businesses, Mitt Romney encouraged business owners to let their employees know which candidate they support and how the election's outcome will affect their business.
"I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections," Romney said.

Now with Tagg Romney having investments in the company that makes the voting machines and tallies the vote, it looks like they may steal the election. That is why they are so positive about him winning.

Also, the company that makes the machines are one of Romney's largest contributors. Conflict of interest for sure.

October 21, 2012 02:42 pm at 2:42 pm |

alpg49

How about changing the headline to "Obama Picks up Newspaper Endorsements"?

Newspapers are own by Republicans, it's like saying Fox News, supports Romney. It's to bad people don't seriously consider social issues when electing a president, Romney hates the 47%, wants to take away women's rights to control their bodies and hates Gays and Lesbians. I'm not sure why people would vote for him, he's economic views are very close to Bush's and look where that got us. It's time to move to Toronto. Don't whine when the economy collapses again, you voted for it.

October 21, 2012 02:45 pm at 2:45 pm |

Garry culp

Romney's has flip-flopped like a shop full of tuna fish. And he has yet to offer ANY evidence of any new policies. As Rudy Giuliani said "the man has no core beliefs he will say and do anything to get elected". This is Bush resetting the same old stuff. Buy if the President had a Congress that had the country at heart we would have MUCH LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT. I despise what the Republican Party has done. You can't trust Romney and theRepublicans.

I wonder if those on the editorial board make over $250k. If so they should state it.

How could the free market "heal" itself? What a joke.

October 21, 2012 02:48 pm at 2:48 pm |

townie

Free market is not able to heal its own wounds without the support and the guidance of the population represented by the GOVERMENT. Free market has only one share of the population protected: its shareholders. The majority of the population is not a shareholder (might believe so, but it's not). We need a government that protects the population from the private interests of the few!

October 21, 2012 03:02 pm at 3:02 pm |

Linda

That is the reason many of my neighbors do not like the dispatch. They have and will always be republican no matter who is running for office. Their idiots

October 21, 2012 03:04 pm at 3:04 pm |

doc tari

Well...those aren't really 'news' papers by any stretch of the imagination. Unless you consider them a leading barometer of how brain dead the press in this country can go.

October 21, 2012 03:05 pm at 3:05 pm |

Claudia, Houston, Tx

The Arizona Republic Newspaper as well as many others don't have enough subscribers to keep them in business, so their endorsements don't mean squat. Technology has taken over the newspaper business and at the same time saving trees.

October 21, 2012 03:13 pm at 3:13 pm |

nina

of course Romney is likely to win – HIS FAMILY have BOUGHT THE VOTING MACHINES just like bush did in 2004 – through his son Tagg's company Solomere ....look it up!!!

When was the last time it mattered when a newspaper endorsed a presidential candidate, the 1950's? Newspapers are a dying business model, they could all line up for either Romney or Obama and it wouldn't make a bit of difference.

October 21, 2012 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

RalphB

No mention of the Salt Lake papers endorsement of Obama. It was a pretty staggering indictment of Romney in content.

October 21, 2012 03:39 pm at 3:39 pm |

Ann Marie

And then there was by all surprise the Salt Lake Tribune which endorsed Obama...never thought I'd see that